... you tend to forget how much fun it is.
2022 has not been my best year. As I've told the tale here before, I injured my hand at work in January and had to undergo surgery. I've been dealing with physical therapy twice a week since then. Sessions are right after work and I get home really late. It's all I can do to grab something light to eat and then melt into bed.
Then, in March, my latest PSA results came back and were not good. That led to having a prostate biopsy done, which in and of itself was not terrible, but at the same time was no fun. The results of that were not what I was hoping for. I'm now in the process, along with my doctors, of determining a course of treatment for prostate cancer. The good news is that it has been caught early and it can be totally cured. CT scans and bone scans have revealed it hasn't spread. Within the next few weeks a decision will be made to either go with surgery or radiation treatments.
Guys .... get those yearly physicals and blood work done. The life you save will be your own!
Needless to say, with all these pre-occupations, my desire to be on the radio has not been Priority #1. But tonight, as I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, Brian KB9BVN posted that good friend, and QRPer par exellence, Dave AB9CA was doing a POTA activation on 7.035.50 MHz, at K-1945 in Ohio.
I figured "What the heck!"
I ran downstairs and turned on the KX3 and Dave was right there, just where Brian said he would be. The KX3 was switched to the W3EDP and sounded pretty good. I gave him a few calls as he had quite the pileup going. Sadly, no dice, so I switched over to the Butternut HF9V.
Wow! His signal was now much louder - a true 599. A few more tries and I made it into his log! My cares and worries had me forget how much fun this radio business is! It was only one QSO but I enjoyed myself immensely. I will make it a point to get on the air way more often than I have been. It's a good tonic for the weary soul.
My backyard neighbor totally removed all the vegetation that was on his side of our mutual fence. For the first time in a few years the Butternut is now totally in the clear. It may not be as stealthy without the foliage camouflage, but it seems to be performing better than it has been.
One other note before I close. Please remember that Sunday, August 21st will be the 11th annual NJQRP Skeeter Hunt, I will be handing out Skeeter numbers in response to e-mails sent to me beginning on June 21st, the first day of Summer. Please don't send in your requests before then. I will update the Skeeter Hunt website within the next few days. Thanks for your cooperation!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
